Sometimes, you don’t need fancy. You need comfortable. A neighborhood restaurant, a patio where you can eat with your dog sitting at your feet. A carafe of wine and a steaming bowl of pasta bolognese.

Barlago, the newest restaurant from Philip Raskin, owner of Filippo’s in Rockridge, offers that comfort: a spacious setting on Grand Avenue, just north of Lake Merritt, with a traditional Italian menu and a full bar. It has a casual vibe, but the decor still feels upscale; you won’t have to get dressed up to fit in, but you won’t feel out of place if you do.

The cocktail menu features a lively mix of drinks; the Cicciolina ($10) approximates a Manhattan, with an herbaceous kick from Amaro Meletti. A bit of a flub by our server, who was friendly if flustered, allowed us to try the Fair Verona ($10), a tart sparkling wine cocktail with Aperol and St-Germain liqueur, even though we’d ordered the Luna Lago ($10), a bourbon, hibiscus and ginger concoction.

The trio of bruschetta ($5 for one piece of each, $9 for two) made a fun start, with a traditional tomato-basil mix on one; pickled peppers, pesto and ricotta on another; and goat cheese and olive-pepper tapenade sprinkled with wild mushroom truffle oil. Being a sucker for almost anything truffle, I might ask for a whole plate of that third selection on a future visit.

A cheese and salami plate ($14) had some nice selections, but the differences in flavors weren’t particularly pronounced. Next time, I might try the beef and pork meatballs ($10), served with marinara and pecorino, or steamed clams ($12), with white wine, garlic, cherry tomatoes and spinach.

The Roman-style thin-crust pizzas have a nice crust, crisp on the edges but tender, without being soggy in the middle. The pesto pizza ($14) had a nice bite to it, enhanced by goat cheese, shallots, tomatoes and pistachios. Diners have the option to add an egg ($2) to the top of any pizza. The Patate ($13), with roasted potato medallions, leeks, garlic, red onion and bacon, seems tailor-made for that experience.

Barlago’s chicken parmigiana ($18) comes sliced and stacked in a colorful presentation; the breading had a solid crunch since it wasn’t soaking in the tomato sauce, but I rather wanted a small cup of that sauce for dipping to get that acidic tomato flavor in each bite. The porcini-braised short rib ($22) was tender and had an even meatier flavor with the addition of the mushrooms, though the grilled polenta serve alongside was a little flat on the palate.

The pasta bolognese ($16) tempted me as I ordered; I went with the short rib, but when I saw a plate of it pass by on the way to another table, I second-guessed my decision. The bolognese is comfort food defined: beef, pork and pancetta in a San Marzano tomato sauce with mushrooms, sprinkled with ricotta. I’ll be back for that one, and also to try the carbonara ($15), with egg, pancetta, red onion and parmesan.

Barlago offers just what you want from a neighborhood restaurant: familiar food, executed well, in a comfortable setting, for a reasonable price. It’s a nice addition to the already-thriving dining scene around Lake Merritt.

Daniel Jimenez is a digital producer who writes the daily Morning Report newsletter for the Bay Area News Group. He began working for the Alameda Newspaper Group in 2006, copy editing and designing pages for the Oakland Tribune and other daily papers. He moved to the breaking news team in 2013, reporting in Richmond and other communities. He moved to the digital production team in 2015, and also contributes dining items to the features section.